Yesterday in class we watched a video, "What Children Need in Order to Read", narrated by Marilyn Jager Adams. If you would like to see this video again, it was borrowed from Langara College.
We were also able to update our activity sheets to include what teachers can do to advance reading fluency.
Lastly, we discussed the controversial issue of sex segregation in schools, either by grade or by subject. Research reported in The Vancouver Sun, "Men Teaching Boys" suggests elementary aged boys may do better in reading and writing if taught separately by men. Other research has shown similar results for high school females in math and science classes. However, other reading experts assert that the gender of the teacher doesn't matter as long as students' interests and needs are being met. Are the academic advantages worth it? What about the importance of socializing students, especially in preparation for the workplace? This issue isn't likely to be resolved soon. Have a great week.
We were also able to update our activity sheets to include what teachers can do to advance reading fluency.
Lastly, we discussed the controversial issue of sex segregation in schools, either by grade or by subject. Research reported in The Vancouver Sun, "Men Teaching Boys" suggests elementary aged boys may do better in reading and writing if taught separately by men. Other research has shown similar results for high school females in math and science classes. However, other reading experts assert that the gender of the teacher doesn't matter as long as students' interests and needs are being met. Are the academic advantages worth it? What about the importance of socializing students, especially in preparation for the workplace? This issue isn't likely to be resolved soon. Have a great week.
Scott wrote:
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure if I’m alone on this, but I find that as I read about how to read, I start to focus on how I’m reading and I make more mistakes. I found this section on fluency really interesting. To be honest, before this class I had never really thought of fluency as a separate entity to teach lessons for. I guess I just thought this would develop naturally as the student’s reading improves (“magic”). This clarified for me why my students can read something (seemingly intently) and have no idea what they just read – they can’t see the forest for the trees. Again, I found many of the ideas presented in the text (reader’s theatre, paired reading, shared reading, taped reading) to be a great start for how to integrate teaching for fluency in the classroom.
The video reviewed and reinforced some of the ideas we’ve already touched on in earlier classes, such as the importance of phonemic awareness, whole text learning, and how crucial reading with children from an early age is to their development later on.
The gender division issue brought up a lot of good arguments around generalizations, gender roles, and the importance of socialization in education. I have a feeling that studies today will say segregation is good, but 10 years from now they’ll say it’s a disaster. Theories are theory, studies can say anything you want them to and in the end, it comes down to having good teachers and support in the home and community.
Thanks :)
Scott.
I was hoping I would be first to blog this time.. but Scott beat me to it :)
ReplyDeletea) Blogging
I have created another blog because I have become addicted to blogging now(lol)… It is http://www.panjabitractor.blogspot.com/ I mainly discuss Bollywood (Indian film stuff). But it is accessible for anyone wanting to learn more about Bollywood and my passion for it. Pleas feel free to read and make comments in it if you like. I expect Tania and Barndt to make some comments because they are used to me posting a lot of information from our module. And Reema is used to me posting a lot also because of our India Field School program (lol).
I like having a forum where I can reflect and think about ideas presented in class. I used to be more vocal in my classes but now as a professional teacher I find myself becoming less vocal and more reflective of issues being presented. But I must say I do miss the old me and the passion I had for my beliefs. Instead of responding quickly and emotionally I am taking time to allow the arguments to process more in my mind. I do miss my external side but my internal processing skills have really improved thanks to PDP and classes like 473.
b) Gender Controversy?
I don’t want to open up a can of worms with other just as equally important influences on education such as Race, Class, Nationality, etc… So, I will stick to focusing on Gender. In a perfect world it really wouldn’t matter if a teacher is male or female. And it wouldn’t matter if a teacher is a male or female because a good teacher would find ways to facilitate all learners and be an unbiased role model for all his/her students’ right? And as Sue’s blog mentions some experts believe Gender of a teacher doesn’t matter as long as the needs of students’ are being met. But the problem is that the needs, all too often, of students are not being met in our educational system. I don’t want to open up can of worms but the First Nations people are too often neglected by the educational system.
The world isn’t perfect. The troubling news is that we do need to find ways to make the learning environment fair and successful for all. Some research supports the idea of boys being more successful by having male teachers. I wonder how reliable and accurate these studies really are sometimes. But there is some truth to these studies and it proves my point that the world isn’t perfect. A good woman teacher can adapt the classroom and find ways to bring male guest speakers and swap some classes with a male teacher if not having a male teacher is a problem in her classroom. And vice-versa for a male teacher. Saying we need a male teacher in order for our boys to be successful is taking the easy way out perhaps.
Maybe we need our teachers male and female to become better teachers and be better able to understand the needs of ALL their students. To me it doesn’t matter if a teacher is a male or female as long as he or she is a good teacher. But perhaps that is only workable in the perfect world. But our world isn’t perfect and it sets up Gender roles/assignments, and perhaps we will have to adapt to these CONSTRUCTED IDEAS. I don’t know if it’s better to challenge Gender roles or just to accept them and believe that only a male teacher can understand male students the best. That is simply untrue in my opinion. And as a future parent a Gender of a teacher will not be my biggest concern. VALUES of a teacher are most important to me. we need to look beyond race, gender, etc...if only our society was fair?
p.s. It is http://www.panjabitractor.blogspot.com/
Ashok K.
Leah Pells
ReplyDeleteJune 9th-2009
Blog entry: Fluency
Last night’s class was very thought provoking on many issues for me. I always enjoy the discussions we have and the ideas that are generated as a group.
I think for me one big issue is the whole gender concept of teaching boys and girls differently. I feel that the issue that perhaps the article presented poorly was not so much that boys and girls may learn differently, but how the article stereotyped what boys and girls want to learn. I feel boys and girls want to learn about princesses or trucks, boys and girls enjoy a variety of themes, and the gender specific theme did feel a bit out date. But I do feel there is some relevance to “how” boys and girls learn. I read Barry Macdonald’s book, “Boy Smarts” which I bought one we had our son, and I found it to be an excellent book. He talks more about the ways in which boys digest information. So one example I love is he says when you want to give a boy a message or talk to him, do it while he is active, so he can take the information in. Many of us will try to have the boy sit still and look at us and then we will give them the information. This is really hard to do as boys cannot stop moving. Again I don’t want to stereotype, as I was a girl who could not stop moving either, but I feel he hits some of the difference that boys and girls have in general in “how” they learn. Anyway, great read.
The strategy I loved in the fluency section (Chapter 3) of our book goes nicely with this, is echo reading for plays. The students read the whole play using different voices for the different characters (CMCM, p.65), and then can move into groups and actually act the play out. Great strategy for any child who has a hard time sitting still and needs to move as they read. Sometimes we expect children to sit still for so long to take in the information we want them to have, but they need to move around, and so perhaps more activity is a nice way to help them learn and to let them be kids.
Thanks again for a great class and the good conversation. Have a great week everyone. Enjoy the sunshine.
Cheers,
Leah
I liked how the class started today with that discussion worksheet, it allowed my brain to remember what I read during the week and hear others thoughts on the same topic.
ReplyDeleteTonight’s class was very helpful on learning different strategies for teaching young readers and sustaining their motivation to continue reading. The video demonstrated several group activities for children to participate in that are very hands on. For example, the use of chalk or white boards can be very effective, it allows the students to write large letters and able to erase quickly. These boards also help the teacher with a form of assessment (for) as he/she is able to walk around the room and oversee the student’s progress.
The second part of class discussing gender segregation had brought back some good memories. This was a great discussion as I was able to hear many ideas and comments about the pro’s and cons of gender segregation in schools. I myself am in favour of this segregation for certain subjects (math and PE). I feel that these are two subject areas that males and females can both excel in if there was a divide. My volunteer experience before PDP, witnessed this segregation and I noticed great change and progress by each gender.
See ya’ll next week!
First off, I agree with Brandt about the worksheet. I read the chapter quite a while ago and it took me a few minutes to remember what I had read! Briefly talking about the main concepts jogged my memory quickly. It was also nice to do that right before the video – I was able to tie concepts from the readings to what was being said on the video.
ReplyDeleteThis week’s class brought up some really interesting topics. In our discussion group, when we were talking about the male/female teacher issue, it was brought up that having a male teacher would be a good thing because it would give boys a strong male role model to look up to. I agree with this and I think it would be fabulous if there were more male elementary teachers. A friend of mine is volunteering with a male kindergarten teacher at the moment and she said that it’s wonderful watching how much the boys look up to him.
Like most of you, I didn’t really agree with separating the students into male/female classes. Sue brought up that there are girls that like to do “boy” activities, and boys who like to do “girl” activities. Perhaps instead of splitting them up it would be better to present choices to the class as a whole and then let the students choose which activity they would like to do. For example, in regards to the article, instead of having the boys do a skit and the girls do an art project, present both ideas to the class and let the students do which ever activity they want. This way, those that want to do something different than what they would normally do have the choice.
On a separate note, someone brought ESL students and reading at home. It’s true that students who do not speak English at home may not be reading, or may not be read to, in English at home and this may make it slightly harder for them to learn the conventions of a new language at school. I’m actually doing my paper on ESL students and Guided Reading – my SA used Guided Reading in her class and I found that it helped all readers, but especially ESL students, strengthen their reading, writing and speaking skills. So while these students may not be exposed to as much English at home, there are definitely many programs that can be used at school, within the classroom, that can help foster their development.
June 9, 2009
ReplyDeleteI know it was a little controversial, but I wanted to go back to a comment made on the movie again. The expert said something along the lines of a student’s success in the future is in correlation to how well a students reads at the end of grade one, and that can be predicted in large part to what they know about reading before they enter grade one. At first I was very stunned and upset, like many of us were, but after thinking and reflecting upon it I think there is some truth to the idea. (Let me clarify before I get attacked). Until a student has mastered the skills presented in grade one it is hard to make progress… yet once this is done he can, at any point, take off with reading as long as he still has a love for it. So while there is concern if a student is lagging behind, it does not spell out the end of the world, so long as they are given lots and lots of help.
I know you probably get tired of hearing about “my kids” connections, but I have some wonderful news about my sons reading. I went for his IEP meeting today and he has improved in all of his scores (except spelling) by at least 1.7 grade levels since October. His success is huge, his progress rapid, and it is due in large part to the help he received from the Teaching and Evaluation Centre earlier this year that went back and re-taught him the basics he missed in grade one. Once those were under his belt he took off and his passion for literature is back in full swing. So as teachers of grades 2 and up I think the best thing we can do for our students is to occasionally go back to the basics and do a refresher lesson to ensure that our students haven’t forgotten something, or gotten lost, or mixed up an important step along the way. And while we are refreshing we should be looking for any students who are struggling and GET THEM HELP! This doesn’t mean we label them or single them out, it means we carefully and respectfully HELP them to LEARN (which is what we as teachers are there to do)!
The video “What children need in order to read” was very fascinating. One point the video mentioned was that children are surrounded with print on signs, labels and everywhere. However, children mostly relate these words as pictures and NOT as print. Children tend to look at the word patterns and figure out what they are. There is no meaning associated with the word in this process. Children need to learn the sounds and spellings that go with the words. This is how student learn how to distinguish the words. I found this a very interesting point; because I had always thought that young children learn to read words that they are surrounded through its association. For example, a young child may learn the word ‘STOP’ by a stop sign.
ReplyDeleteWhen should one start teach/ read to children? - When the child is a couple months old and is able to control eyes and head. When you select books try to find books that are appealing to the little ones. The child will ask for the book to be read frequently. Parents make a big difference on a child’s interesting on learning to read. When the child has been exposed to many opportunities of reading, this would encourage them to start. Personal exploration and discover is a good start to get students into reading. Children also need to be given a lot of support and skills to help them become better readers. After viewing this video, I have come to see that reading is very much influenced by the family and support from the teacher and peers.
This video also puts a lot of pressure on the grade 1 teacher, it’s making me reconsider whether I want to teach grade 1’s. Her statement refers to grade 1 students reading abilities to be predictors of success in the future as very broad and not helpful at all. On the same note, I remember attending a keynote speaker’s presentation at BBY district Pro-D day and he mentioned that in the United States grade 3 reading levels are predictors for the number of jail cells. He mentioned that there is a clear association with grade 3 reading levels and future crime rates.
I thought that we had a good discussion in class last night. A lot of the ideas/reading strategies that we covered are very useful for a new teacher like myself, and I enjoy learning about them. Chapter 3 had a lot of great ideas that can be used to teach children how to become fluent readers. A lot of the activities I have seen in my practicum. For example, Echo Reaching is very popular amongst many primary teachers. This activity allows children to first listen to the teacher read a story or rhyme, and then children echo the teacher and together they read it multiple times. As we have read in many chapters, children learn best how to read by repeating activities multiple times. In my practicum, I did not see a word wall, however in the volunteer classrooms I have. Often I have noticed children looking back at them when they are writing in their journals or working on spelling. I think that it’s a great idea to have a word wall in the classroom, because children can always refer back to it if they are unsure of how to spell something. At the beginning of the year, we discussed whether we should correct children’s spelling, and I feel that if the word is up on the word wall then children should use that as a reference and spell those words correctly in their journals, and if they do make a mistake then the teacher can circle it so that the child can correct it. In addition, I found that the movie nicely tied in with what we read in the chapters. I saw many activities that I would use if I had my own classroom. Many of those activities would make great stations. I especially like the tape recording and pocket chart activity. It’s very simple to set up, and I know that children would enjoy it during center time. I also like the idea of giving children a letter for ‘show and tell’ and then each day that child has to bring in something with that letter and show it to the classroom, and then they could add it to the pocket chart. This could be rotated many times throughout the year. Children learn how to recognize the letter as well as the sound of it at the same time. Reading is the core of everything that we do, and teachers need to make sure that they do their best to educate children so that they become fluent and successful readers.
ReplyDeleteDuring last class I really appreciated the worksheet and especially Sue’s description of why exactly she gave us the worksheet. I think that sometimes teachers use too many worksheets, but I believe that this was a good use. It helped me to clarify the most important facts I should be pulling from the readings. I thought it was great planning on Sue’s part in case she ran into technical difficulties.
ReplyDeleteThe video was very informative as well. I saw some activities that I could definitely bring into the classroom. I really liked when the students were sitting in a circle with the chalkboards and one student would draw a letter and they would all say it out loud and then write it on their chalkboard. In class it was mentioned that there was a concern that students would copy one another, but I was just thinking that they already have the letter in front of them anyway. As long as they are writing and saying the letter they are receiving the practice. One of the reasons I thought this was such a great activity is that during my practicum my class had a set of whiteboards and the students loved using them. I was always trying to think of fun ways to incorporate them into the students learning.
This video had me thinking about some of the strategies my family use in teaching me the alphabet and reading. I always remember having magnetic letters on the fridge and trying to make words out of those letters. One of my fondest memories of my Grandmother was the mini spelling tests she would give me while she was preparing dinner. I wish I could remember just how she made these tests so much fun, but unfortunately I can’t. But I do remember always being excited to spell all of the words and I attribute my good spelling to her.
I was not feeling very well and had lost my voice so left shortly after we started discussing gender differences. I am looking forward to reading everyone’s thoughts on here!
The beginning of this class we did a little quiz, a refresher one might say to re connect with our readings from last week. I enjoyed this because it got my head into the class and prompted my memory as to what I had read. I did my practicum in the intermediate grades, and feel I took for granted how hard it is to learn to read, and what an incredible challenge it is to teach young readers. The conversation we had in class today was of significant importance to me because I want to educate myself about teaching reading to children. Before this class I was unsure about “sight” words and eye voice scan. The teaching strategies we discussed were useful for me. I liked how we are learning the importance of when a teacher should point out a student’s mistake or leave it alone (example Non meaning and Meaning). It is important to know when a student should be corrected and when they should be given the opportunity to sort it out themselves.
ReplyDeleteAfter we watched the movie in class today “ What Children need in order to Read”, I was shocked by the comment made that how well a child reads by grade 1 determines success for the rest of their life. This is a crazy thought and puts allot of pressure on everyone. I did not agree with this comment. Yes I think children should be monitored, but to say reading success by grade 1 is an indicator of future success is pretty harsh. The movie discussed how language is a vehicle for meaning. This is so true; words are the most powerful weapon we have. I also liked how the movie looked at what makes a skilled reader, and that reading is guided by meaning not word by word recognition. One saying I liked from this class today was that “Reading is automatic”. I believe this to be true, and also something we take for granted. I must say after this class I have a new outlook on the importance and value of reading.
I really enjoyed watching the video in class today and it provided me with a lot of great ideas for teaching a younger grade level. My experience teaching is in a grade 5/6 class so hearing lessons for younger grades is great. I would use the activity that was discussed using the chalkboards; where one child pulls out a letter and all the students say the letter then write it on their chalk board. This lesson could also be used for learners that have difficulties at the partial alphabetic stage of reading.
ReplyDeleteThis chalkboard activity would be great to also incorporate all skill levels; where the teacher could pair up groups of students that are stronger with weaker students. This would enable the weaker students some tutoring/assistance with figuring out what the letters are. There is so much that could be done with this activity. For older kids you could use the same format, but work with words instead of letters. Possibly doing onsets and rimes using the letters and chalkboard.
Given the discussion as to whether males should teach boys... I think as long as the teacher is great the gender of the teacher shouldn't matter.
Have a great week. Cheers, Alanna
Blogg 5:
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to begin class with an activity that helps activate our prior knowledge and buys the teacher a few extra moments.
The video was a great format of what to do with example of how to do it. It was great to see different activities in practice and typical responses from students (backwards letters). So many things have resonated with me because I did them wrong trying to help my oldest son learn to read, like not worrying about the mastery of letters, or spelling mistakes (inventive), I am glad I know better now.
The part in the movie when she talked about “Read to Us” and she says that while reading aloud stop and question, and make predictions is the same as what “Reading Power” suggests. I have taught the first three powers (connect, question, visualize) and the students really benefit from the teacher modelling her/his thinking just as both these experts suggest.
The familiar debate of nature vs. Nurture did bring out some interesting ideas. I definitely lean more toward the nature side of the issue but was given some food for thought from our group discussion.
One of the wonderful things that I am finding about this class is that I am really learning a lot about what stages and phases children need to go through in order to become fluent readers. While I thought that I already had a pretty firm grasp on what would help students become better readers, I am now realizing that I was largely unprepared. Now, however, I am beginning to feel more comfortable in my newly gained knowledge and feel that I would not only be able to identify the reasons behind struggling readers but also come up with activities and strategies to support them.
ReplyDeleteThis week, the video “What Children Need in Order to Read” further helped by providing the class with even more cleaver ideas and strategies for promoting a love of reading. As a side note, I have got to figure out where you can buy those ‘soccer’-looking balls with the Velcro flaps covering the letters (genius)! Anyways, I thought that this video did a great job of creating a ‘timeline’ of activities that would work to build familiarity with the alphabet, as well as those that can target sounds, work on the recognition of syllables and lastly, promote text awareness. More than just showing strategies in action, however, this video was also very thought provoking and while we spent a lot of time discussing it in class I did think that it was especially interesting how we as a group reacted when the speaker said that a child’s reading ability at the end of grade one is a great predictor for not only future reading but also academic success and success in life (i.e. employment opportunities). It was impressive to see how strongly people felt about this statement. Personally, I too initially reacted to this statement thinking that it was crazy to judge a child’s potential for success based on their first grade reading ability. Since then however, I feel that the speakers point was probably more geared towards paying closer attention to the reading abilities at an early age- monitoring and providing support so that children do not fall behind and require intervention later on in life. But her wording was most likely what caused the reaction, and frankly I think the fact that we picked it out, and felt so strongly about it, shows that we all have a passion to make students successful! I was really pleased to be a part of it!
Lastly, a lot has already been said on this blog about the sex issue, so I thought that I would not spend a lot of time on it. Instead, I would just like to say that while I disagree with segregating students by sex, and thinking that they will learn best from members of their own sex, I do feel that there is a lot to be gained by having a good mix of both female and male teachers (with more males especially at the elementary school level where they are most rare).While there may be research to support the splitting of the sexes based on reports of increased academic success, I question the effects this would have on social development? Having spent one of my practicum in a grade three class with a male teacher (one of the most amazing teachers I have ever encountered) I saw the impact that a male can have on both boys and girls so my personal suggestion would just be that both girls and boys can and should have the opportunity to learn from teachers of each sex, but should not be separated in order to do this. The segregation by sex bothers me because I sort of see it as a step backwards. It’s almost as if suggesting that boys will learn better from a male, and that girls will learn best in an all girls math class, you are getting scarily close to making outdated claims similar to those heard years ago when we believed that nursing was a woman’s job, and engineer was a man’s?
Maybe Sue or others can help me here :),
ReplyDeleteI had a few questions. I’ve already posted so this is just some more stuff I am wondering. For someone who has blindness what type of adaptations would need to be made? Can we still apply the same principles of phonemes and morphemes? I think so, but was wondering because the books don’t mention a lot about students with disabilities. And how about someone who has ADHD? What type of adaptations would be needed so they can reach their potential?
Also, I was wondering would I be able to learn Punjabi language or any other language faster if I apply these principles? I mean are these principles best for the English language or can the basic principles be transferred in learning other languages? I know for me it would be hard because I am older now and learning how to read in another language is very difficult. But I wish when I was young my parents would have also put me in Punjabi language schools and not just English.
p.s. I find Fluency the hardest topic to teach students. The most difficult thing in my practicum was students overcoming shyness and the fear of reading in aloud with expression. But it is something I want to teach well…
And Ashlea I agree with you and segregating the sexes seems like a step backward for me as well… And Sue mentioned in class the impact it has on boys and girls socially once they are out of school….
Ashok K.
Hi Ashok and everybody,
ReplyDeleteI'll try to respond to your questions. I'm not an expert in learning disabilities but it seems to make sense that someone with visual impairment would go through the same reading stages as other children, except for the way they read. As you may know, they learn to read braille by touch. However, today a lot of learning takes place through technology and it is possible to use computer programs that read aloud. Perhaps someone else knows more about this topic.
As for learning other languages, the same principles are involved. Each child must learn phonemic awareness for the sounds in their language. Then they must be able to connect sounds with letters and master phonics. Obviously languages with alphabets are different than, say, for example, pictographs, which are used in the Chinese languages. But the idea is the same -- matching abstract symbols with sounds and meaning. A couple of years ago I had two students who did their papers on designing a Lilloet Immersion program, an Aboriginal language. They were choosing which songs, chants, stories, etc. they could use for developing phonemic awareness, etc. Lastly, it's never too late to learn another language. Of course, it's easier when you are younger to pick it up (more open pathways, less cluttered mind!) but it depends mainly on how much time you have to study and if you can immerse yourself in the language and culture. The best way to learn a new language as an adult is to go live with a family (who doesn't speak English and have small kids) in that country -- it is brutal, but your progress will be amazing! It helps if you have an affinity for languages and this new one would be the third language you have studied.
As for fluency, you can build up to reading in front of the whole class. Lots of re-reading with partners, then small groups, then reading the same passage as a class -- these can be the preliminary steps.
Hope that helps.... Sue
Last week, we talked a lot about fluency. In the text, one of the ideas that were presented to teach fluency was changing punctuation in a passage to see the change in intonation. I really liked this activity. I think it would be a great way for students to really understand how for example, an exclamation point can completely change the meaning of a sentence then if it were a question mark. Students would be able to see the real importance of using inflection in the voice and clear expression to present the real meaning of what the author was trying to convey.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea that was brought up last class was the use of word walls. I saw the beginnings of a word wall being implemented in my short practicum in a grade 1/2 classroom. The teacher started with kindergarten words and presented five per week (when the words started to get harder, less words would be taught in a week). Students had to see the word, say the word, and write the word. They would practice these steps about 3-5 times a week for each new set of words, then students would have the chance to put up the words in the correct places on the word wall. The next week, five new words were taught in the same way. The teacher would often give reminders to use the word wall as a resource when they were writing. The kids really enjoyed the activity and already I could see progress in many of the students writing.
June 8, 2009
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of “Cross-Tutoring” from the textbook. This is a good reading strategy for older struggling readers who need to practice reading easier books than their grade level. By having a buddy program, older children read to younger children once or twice a week. Through this kind of buddy program, older poor readers become reading models and they have chance to reread easy books again. I think this buddy program is such a brilliant idea because older children can gain confidence and self-esteem and younger children can practice reading in an interesting way. Teachers should make sure that the older readers have time to practice reading designated books before they read to younger children. I observed this kind of buddy program during my long practicum. The Grade 1 children in my class really engaged in reading and writing through discussion with their buddies.
According to our textbook, when children make little “non-meaning–changing errors” such as reading “car” instead of “automobile” during oral reading, a teacher should not correct their errors because “non-meaning changing errors” are a sign of good reading. I totally agree with it. Correcting “non-meaning–changing errors” can actually discourage children’s motivation and interests in their oral reading. Also, children cannot develop the eye-voice span which is essential to all fluent readers.
The ideas in Chapter 14 were so great! I am looking forward to eventually teaching at the intermediate level, so these ideas will help for sure! I was so glad to have someone finally explain what “reader’s theatre” was. I have heard the name tossed around in different conversations, but have never had the concept explained to me fully. I sort of used this approach when I was in my long practicum, but not in the exact same structure. We did a novel study on The School Mouse, and though we read together in a different way each class, the kids’ favourite way to read was when I assigned them parts. I had a stack of cards with each child’s name on them (my “name cards”, which I used for a plethora of different activities) and chose randomly who would read a part for the day. We worked on expression and pacing, and through the course of the novel study I really saw the kids’ fluency levels increase dramatically. The kids always looked forward to reading their parts, and at the end scene – where two mice fell in love and had their own “mousekins” – they all applauded.
ReplyDeleteI also found the discussion we had about gender separations in the classroom very interesting. In our group, we were very adamantly divided on the issue, particularly in the area of high school PE. Some people (who were very active in high school) thought that the classes should definitely be integrated, while others of us (who were less active) thought that they should definitely be segregated. I know that for myself, it would have been horrifying and humiliating to have to have gym class with the boys in my grade, because there was such a huge gap between us in skill level and aggression. While I did do recreational sports, I did not enjoy the competitiveness that came with having gym class with the boys in grades 6 and 7. It would have been ten times worse in high school. However, I can see the perspective of others who took their sports very seriously, and whose skill levels may have matched that of the boys in their classes. Perhaps a compromise would for the students to be able to choose either integration or segregation.
I found this week's class to be very helpful and the discussion on male teachers for male students and female teachers for female students was quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteWith fluency, the non-meaning errors, I think should be left alone considering the fact that it doesn't change what the sentence in the story is saying. Also, as it was mentioned in the text, non-meaning errors are actually signs of good reading. As good readers, I guess we're able to generalize what we are reading and that is why someone who is a good reader may be able to read 'car' when the word is in fact 'automobile'.
On the topic of the discussion, our group started talking about the presence male teachers have when they enter a classroom. During my practicum, there was a male TOC that was called in for a day and when he walked into the classroom, I could automatically see that the male students in the class were drawn to him. Why? I have no idea. During our discussion in class, I said I thought it was because male teachers are such rare commodities in the elementary school system that maybe that's why male students seem so drawn. Also, perhaps it's because male students think that male teachers would have more in common with them, especially in the sports aspect. I'm not sure if this would be the same in high school since there are more male teachers in high schools.
I quite enjoyed having the little ‘quiz’ on Monday night because I have a hard time remembering what I read come Monday night. (hmm… perhaps I need to work on that! : ) ) Anyway, it’s nice to have the discussion of the weeks reading at the beginning of class because it brings all of us together onto the same page.
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy the movie, especially because I did my practicum in high school and I am a visual learner. We talk a lot about different activities that one could do in an elementary classroom, but it was really nice to see them in action. Activities like taking turns picking letters and drawing them together on chalkboards was such a simple thing to do, and yet I’m sure that those kids felt quite proud of themselves for being able to write it down themselves. It can be quite an empowering thing for students to feel that they are writing letters and words like adults do, because one thing I remember as a kid was always wanting to be able to do what my parents could do. I would practice writing my name and trying to make it neat and tidy, because that’s what big people did! There’s a sense of pride and accomplishment when you can print and create words by yourself, and I love that this class is teaching me so many different strategies and fun ways for kids to do that.
I enjoyed the article about gender, and whether or not boys and girls learn better from a teacher of the same sex. I think there’s a little truth to both sides, and that it can be beneficial for young students to have a strong male role model in their lives when they are at such a vulnerable state of education. However, and many of you mentioned this, a great teacher alone makes all the difference to kids, and although it shouldn’t matter what the sex or gender is of a person, sometimes it can.
If only every parent could watch the movie we watched in class! I know the whole "reading success is determined by what the child knows entering grade 1" comment was a bit controversial. But I think the bottom line is the importance of reading to your children as much as possible as soon as possible. It's great for us as teachers to know this, but this information needs to be getting out to parents BEFORE they enter the school system. I just attended a baby shower and I'm doing my part by only buying books, although those cute little tiny outfits are VERY hard to resist. I gave the whole shower of young moms a big chat about the importance of reading often to their children. I'm sure they were rolling their eyes at my "teacher talk" but whatever :) I just know if parents of young children understand the significance of reading to their kids. Spread the word folks!!!
ReplyDeleteNext, I wanted to comment on the whole gender stereotyping issue. I'm doing as I was told and commenting BEFORE reading the other comments, but I'm sure there have been a bunch of comments on this issue! I think stereotypes have been created for a reason and they often are GENERALLY true. Most boys and girls act pretty similar to what we read in the article. However, of course, it's important to not overgeneralize. My daughter is a complete girlie girl but cannot sit still to save her life. She's figity, super active and in many ways also fits into the stereotype of boys. It's important for us to be aware of these in order to remind us to teach in well rounded and differentiated ways. With 30ish students in our classrooms there is most definitely going to be a variety of ways students like to and best learn.
I found the video very interesting to watch, and both frustrating and empowering. It was empowering to see how much influence teachers and good strategies can have on a student's reading level. However, it was frustrating to realise how much must be done by parents before the students are even in your class. Another point raised by the film was students who see words early on in their lives, but view them the same way they would pictures. It was an intriguing thought that I hadn't really considered before. The responsibility of being an early primary teacher was also made very clear, as so much of a student's future enjoyment of reading can depend on the skills taught in those early years.
ReplyDeleteAs for the discussion on gender division, my concern over the article, as well over the process itself is ensuring that it is done to accomodate differences in learning style and not for generalising interests along gender lines. I went to a high school that had seperate male and female gym classs, but those were options and mixed gender classes were also available. I didn't like that the article seemed to be sterotyping gender interests and characteristics in a way that I don't feel is healthy. It talked about girls as quiet, wanting to do crafts and play dolls, and boys as rough, loud and wanting to talk about trucks. What about the children who don't fit such rigid gender roles? A better option that someone suggested was to allow for students to select different learning methods and see where they feel most comfortable. I also think that a great deal of getting rid of the need for seperate math and gym classes lies in better self esteem for girls so that they don't feel they have to act dumb for boys, and better education for boys on how to treat girls and women. That will go a long way in changing how both genders react to each other in academic situations.
Blog #5 June 15, 2009
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone
I particularly enjoyed our discussions regarding fluency last week. I think that fluency is something that is often overlooked once students are able to read silently, and yet it is one of the single most important factors in becoming an able reader. With such diverse classrooms with many different reading levels, wouldn’t it be more efficient to replace silent reading times such as D.E.A.R. with some of the activities and oral reading methods that were introduced in our readings? At the very least, teachers could work with struggling readers in small groups while some of the fluent readers read silently. Students who don’t enjoy reading often have little flow and expression in their reading. When they read silently it is that same dull monotone sound that they hear in their head. If we can teach these children to read with accuracy, expression, and at an appropriate rate, their comprehension will likely improve, and so will their interest. In my work as a listening fitness instructor I have also learned the importance of using reading outloud to train the voice to be an energizer and a way to improve focus and attention. (Listening Fitness is an auditory stimulation program based on the work of Dr. Alfred Tomatis. Many children and Adults with focus, learning and communication related difficulties have found the program to be very helpful. You can learn more about it at www.listeningfitness.com and www.listeningcentre.com )
Thanks for listening!
Sharon
Blog 5
ReplyDeleteWatching the video last week really caught my attention. Aside from hearing “students’ lifelong reading ability is decided by how they perform at the end of grade one, and acts as a strong predictor of their future success or failure...” (or something along those lines), I was intrigued to see all the great ideas put forth by a video with such a “doom and gloom” message. Having recently finished my 401/2 placement in a grade 7 classroom, and receiving my 405 placement in a grade 2 class has forced me to open my eyes to the “primary” way of doing things. Now that my brain has finally overcome the initial shock of “holy crap grade 2!”, I am now not only recognizing the importance of the earlier grades on later reading, but have also become an instant sponge for ideas to use in a primary classroom. I am coming to the realization that some students may still be stuck in the decoding stage of reading, and struggling with letter sounds. As the video progressed, I was scrambling down all kinds of ideas. I liked the task of ordering the laminated letters, the “chalkboards in a circle” (or whiteboards to update it a little) for practicing writing letters, (although I wonder whether placing the letter in the centre is a good idea since some children will see it upside down). I also now recognize (despite my earlier criticism) that invented spellings give younger students the opportunity to practice sound-letter correspondence; they sound out words and write the associated “sounds” in the form of letters on the page. Lastly, a major nugget I took away was again, the power of read aloud. The practice of reading aloud fosters the students’ language development, through hearing the words, seeing the words, and through their ability to connect to text and think critically when stopping to discuss interesting parts.
We also spoke a bit about promoting fluency in the students, and the ability to read with intonation and feeling. The students who struggle with reading aloud are so glued to the text and worried about pronouncing the words correctly, that they have no intonation whatsoever. When reading aloud unprepared, they are concentrating so hard on the words and letters, and become unsure of the jumbled string of words they are reading, which makes it tough to add intonation. The idea of allowing the students to practice their reading before reading aloud is very valuable. Reader’s theatre, which I think is a wonderful idea, is a new concept for me; I had never heard of it, and plan to use it. I love the idea of having known books made into “plays” where the students assume a character, practice their lines and, instead of memorizing, they can focus on fluency by reading aloud using excitement and intonation. Additionally, the idea of buddy reading to younger students is awesome; it allows struggling readers to “practice” reading easier books, without feeling silly.
Finally, our discussion around the possibility of gender segregation in schools was an interesting topic. Our group discussed the article and whether it was a male/ female distinction that set these boys and girls apart, or whether it was simply learning styles and gender role stereotyping. We also discussed whether children are born innately male or innately female, and whether this fuels gender stereotypes within peer groups. Our conclusion was that, if student learning preferences are attended to, and engaging material and activities are introduced, it shouldn’t matter whether the teacher is male or female. We also discussed separation of classes based on gender, and whether students may perform differently without the added pressure of opposite sex in the classroom. Girls may be more liable to offer solutions in math and science, which are seen as the more “male” subjects, as boys may speak up without the presence of girls in English or Poetry class. We concluded, however, that in order to function properly in an egalitarian society, gender should be mixed in schools with perhaps some exceptions for health class or sensitive topics.
Last week’s class was informative because it provided me with a greater understanding and comprehension of the strategies behind teaching primary elementary school students to read. I was fascinated by the Velcro ball, much like Ashlea, which the video brought up. I do think it was a genius idea because it integrates movement, manipulation, and visual cues that would further stimulate the brain and be engaging for both male and female students. Movement and teaching, as Leah said, is particularly important for male students because they are better able to comprehend and understand something while they are busy moving. I believe as well that we cannot generalize it to be specific to a certain gender and, like Leah said, there are some girls that learn the same way. This brings up ideas about differentiated learning for a class of students, students who cannot be categorized or fit in nice neat boxes as a certain type of learning. I believe that the Velcro ball is a way of adapting to meet each individual students need because it includes written and visual comprehension. I also found the fabric pockets interesting because you have an opportunity to go past A for apple and slip different individual items that start with A into the pocket. This allows A to stand for more than apple, broadening a child’s base knowledge because A might be for alligator or apricot as well.
ReplyDeleteOn the subject of separating gender, the group that I was working with believed more in maintaining the co-ed aspect of teaching. I believe, however, for some subjects like physical education in the junior high schools grades it is good to separate genders. In my experience, I found it more comforting to know that I was only in a class of girls and would not have to be worried about what the other gender would think. It made me more open to trying new things and performing my best. I know that it is different for each individual student and person, so it would be the decision of the school principal and teachers whether they separated genders. They would take into consideration the needs of each individual student and the needs of the students as a group as well as students learning styles and what environment they work best in.
Today we discussed what a child needs to read and the struggles of children have learning to read. I shared my daughter’s struggles in balancing her slower reading rate, dislike of reading, and the reality the school’s have limited resources and individuals who may not support a child’s needs. I don’t need to reiterate the whole saga; rather, I would like to ask you to remember that with every child who is struggling there is probably a struggling parent. The parent has a great influence on the child’s ability to learn but also the child’s ability to cope with learning issues. The parent may not be aware of the depth of the issue(s) or the other extreme where the parent is looking around every corner to find a solution. Please think about how they feel, are they indifferent or are they deeply grieved. Are there cultural issues that influence their reactions? For some cultures the learning struggles are a personal insult because their child is not perfect and for some there is even the thought that the child will not be able to care for the parent when they are elderly, because their earning potential will be limited. For many families there is only one child so this is a serious issue on many fronts, not only the provision of the family in the future but also the child for others may be their whole world. It is hard to support the needs of a child in the classroom but balancing the child coming from a family, which has an influence that can make all the difference in the world. Learning to read needs the support at home and the parents are the link to this success.
ReplyDeleteWeek 5 Post
ReplyDeleteWhat a can of worms the video brought up – but it has generated such a rich dialogue! The gender segregation issue is not isolated to this class discussion; my Curriculum & Development class had a very long debate over this exact same topic. Interestingly, my Professor has taught extensively in China where segregation is the norm. The findings are that the boys concentrate better and participate more readily. Girls, usually being more verbal, tend to dominate in this area. The girls tend to take more risks in their learning and contribution to discussions when there is less fear of being seen as “too smart” – I am sure we can all understand this commonplace misconception.
As far as children being bombarded constantly by words and/or pictures in everyday life, it is so true! I was really conscious of this as I drove around running errands the other day; the amount of signage, branding and advertising is incredible! No wonder billions of dollars are spent to garner the attention of us all in the name of consumerism!
The refresher quiz was great – I think that I will tuck that away for a time when I have my own class. Never knowing when a “quiz” may occur keeps students on their toes – they never know when the time may come to share what they know. Formative assessment is generally more my style, but the summative approach with these quizzes could be broadened to be inclusive of both ideologies.
Thanks all, for another interactive and lively class!
Jennifer